


Somewhere Only We Know

by RandomestFandoms



Category: Glee
Genre: Boarding School, Dalton Academy, Dalton Academy Warblers, Dysfunctional Family, Early Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Eventual Blaine Anderson/Sam Evans, F/M, Family Issues, Found Family, Gen, Hate Crimes, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Kurt Hummel Bashing, M/M, Not Kurt Or Klaine Friendly, Original Character(s), Past Hate Crime, Past Sexual Assault, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Team as Family, The Warblers are a family, Warbler Centric, biphobic Kurt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24940774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomestFandoms/pseuds/RandomestFandoms
Summary: Aurora had always known that Andersons go to Dalton, she just didn’t think that she would be included in that legacy.  But after the incident at the Sadie Hawkins dance left she and her half-brother in the hospital, their father told them that Aurora would be the first female student in Dalton history, regardless of what she wanted.  Of course the Dalton Brotherhood had always been her family, and being with her closest friends was exactly what she needed, but when a spy shows up in their midst, she knows that her home is going to be changed forever.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson & Cooper Anderson, Blaine Anderson & Original Character(s), Blaine Anderson & The Warblers, Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson/Sam Evans, Cooper Anderson & Original Female Character(s), David Thompson & Original Female Character(s), Jeff Sterling & Original Female Character(s), New Directions & Original Female Character(s), Nick Duvall & Original Female Character, Sebastian Smythe & The Warblers, Sebastian Smythe/Original Female Character(s), Thad Harwood & Original Female Character(s), The Warblers & Original Female Character(s), Trent Nixon & Original Female Character(s), Wes Montgomery & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 21





	1. Like Silent Raindrops Fell

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Glee, or any character other than Aurora. I only own my own worldbuilding for Dalton and the Warblers, Aurora herself, and my plot  
> Warnings: This chapter does not touch on it but this story does include past sexual assault and hate crimes, as well as underage drinking, parental abuse, and biphobia. This story is also not going to be friendly towards Kurt, Rachel, or Finn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aurora had always known that Andersons go to Dalton, she just didn’t think that she would be included in that legacy. But after the incident at the Sadie Hawkins dance left she and her half-brother in the hospital, their father told them that Aurora would be the first female student in Dalton history, regardless of what she wanted. Of course the Dalton Brotherhood had always been her family, and being with her closest friends was exactly what she needed, but when a spy shows up in their midst, she knows that her home is going to be changed forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Glee, or any character other than Aurora. I only own my own worldbuilding for Dalton and the Warblers, Aurora herself, and my plot  
> Warnings: This chapter does not touch on it but this story does include past sexual assault and hate crimes, as well as underage drinking, parental abuse, and biphobia. This story is also not going to be friendly towards Kurt, Rachel, or Finn

Aurora straightened her jacket, glancing towards the doorway to the Commons. Blaine still wasn’t there. It was three-thirty, and Blaine wasn’t there. It wasn’t like Blaine to be late, especially for a concert, and she had to wring her hands together to hide their shaking. She wasn’t worried, she really wasn’t — except that she really was. Not only was it completely out of character for Blaine – and her mind was already racing with all of the different things that could have delayed him – but she couldn’t help but also worry about the performance. Their first song was a  _ duet _ , and her partner was nowhere to be found. Their second song was a duet too, technically, but she couldn’t worry about that yet.

She jumped when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, twisting around to see Nick standing behind her.

“You okay, Rory?” he asked quietly, carefully unclenching her hands to hold them in his own.

“Blaine’s not here,” she told him, wincing when her voice cracked.

“I know,” he told her, “David was going to try calling him.”

He looked over to the windows on the far wall, where the senior stood with his fellow council members. Wes caught his eye and shook his head subtly, before tilting his head and his gaze shifted to Aurora —  _ Blaine won’t be here, is she okay? _ Nick waited until the older boy was looking at him again, and offered a slight tilt of his own head — s _ he will be _ .

Had Aurora followed his gaze, she would have known exactly what was being said – or unsaid, as the case may be – but she had shut her eyes in a desperate attempt to push back against the impending anxiety attack that threatened to swallow her.

“Stop being psychic and tell me what’s going on,” she insisted.

“David got a hold of Blaine but he won’t be here for the first song – not sure about the second yet. Wes wants to know if you’re okay to keep going.”

“It’s a duet, Nicky. I can’t sing two parts at once.”

“You don’t have to,” he told her. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course?”

“Then just focus on me, and on your harmonies.”

Aurora took a deep breath and nodded, turning to face the windows and watch as Nick caught Wes’ eye and nodded firmly. Wes nodded back before whispering something to David and Thad – she couldn’t hear them from the other side of the commons, but she could see when his posture shifted. She watched him transition from Wes to Wesley Montgomery, and she could see the rest of the Warblers see it too.

The group shifted, spreading around the room so casually that it looked natural, and soon Wes nodded at her. Whenever she was ready.

She took a deep breath, wishing that Nick were still beside her but knowing that he needed to be in position too, instead pulling at the hem of her navy skirt and straightening its matching sweater to comfort herself. The front of her hair was carefully pinned back on each side, but she still brushed away phantom curls before pasting a bright smile on her face. 

[ _ Hello, darkness, my old friend _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdVjVtpr55M&list=TLPQMzAwNTIwMjAp2i99cMskQw&index=4)

_ I've come to talk with you again _

_ Because a vision softly creeping _

As the Warblers started to “ _ ooo”  _ all around the room, Aurora’s smile turned genuine, and she turned around to face the rest of the school. The room had fallen completely silent as soon as Aurora had begun singing, and it was easy, so easy, to lose herself in the performance. For just a moment she could forget that Blaine was MIA, she could forget all of her anxiety, she could forget everything that wasn’t the music. It was just her and the song, and that was all she ever needed.

_ Left its seeds while I was sleeping _

_ And the vision that was planted in my brain _

_ Still remains _

_ Within the sound of silence _

As her first verse came to an end, the anxiety returned — muted by the comforting blanket that was the song, but present nonetheless. Blaine wasn’t there, and it was his verse.

Nick’s voice echoed in her head.  _ “Do you trust me?” _ she could hear him asking, just as he began to sing.

_ In restless dreams I walked alone _

_ Narrow streets of cobblestone _

_ 'Neath the halo of a streetlamp _

_ I turned my collar to the cold and damp _

_ When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light _

_ That split the night _

_ And touched the sound of silence _

Aurora looked over her shoulder as the rest of the Warblers continued to _ “do-do” _ , smiling softly as her best friend stepped forward. Of course he wouldn’t let her fall, he would never let her fall. He smiled back before raising an eyebrow —  _ oh. _ That was it. She turned forward again, continuing to sing what should have been Blaine’s verse, with Nick and Jeff joining her to fill his void.

_ And in the naked light I saw _

_ Ten thousand people, maybe more _

_ People talking without speaking _

_ People hearing without listening _

_ People writing songs that voices never share _

_ No one dared _

_ Disturb the sound of silence _

She felt, rather than saw, Nick step back into formation while Warblers harmonized across the room, their  _ “sound of silence”  _ echoing around the room, more perfect than it had ever been in rehearsal. She made a mental note to buy Nick coffee after the performance, waiting patiently for her cue.

_ "Fools," said I, "You do not know _

_ Silence like a cancer grows _

_ Hear my words that I might teach you _

_ Take my arms that I might reach you." _

_ But my words like silent raindrops fell _

_ And echoed in the wells of silence _

The song had settled into her chest, a heavy, reassuring weight brought to life by the support of her friends. It filled her, brought her to life, and suddenly she found herself understanding why Wes had chosen that particular song for her. He had always known her better than she knew herself, after all, of course he would know that this was exactly the song she needed. With the vocals building behind her, she felt invincible, like a weight was being lifted that she never even knew she was carrying. She could have — she would have — floated away, if it hadn’t been for the boys surrounding her, grounding her. 

It was almost overwhelming, and only Beat’s familiar rhythms kept her steady to continue singing, voice soaring above the breathtaking harmonies.

_ And the people bowed and prayed _

_ To the neon god they made _

She worried that the last verse would fall flat without Blaine, even though she could feel Jeff and Nick stepping forward to join her. But it wasn’t just them, this time. It was  _ them _ . It was Nick and Jeff, but it was also Trent and Thad, and Wes and David. It was different than it was with just her and Blaine, but as the seven of them came together to close the song, she couldn’t help but feel that this is what they should have been doing from the beginning.

_ And the sign flashed out its warning _

_ In the words that it was forming _

_ And the sign said, "The words of the prophets _

_ Are written on the subway walls _

_ And tenement halls _

_ And whispered in the sounds of silence.” _

The room fell completely silent as they finished, before bursting into uproarious applause. Aurora beamed, letting Nick and Jeff pull her into a tight hug. 

Suddenly Nick tensed, and the other two froze.

“Don’t look yet but Blaine’s here, with a New Directions spy.”

Aurora fought the urge to turn and look, instead focusing on trying to remember every member that had been in their Regionals performance.

“Which one?” she asked.

“The one whose dancing you said, and I quote, made you want to gouge your eyes out with a rusted spoon.”

Jeff chuckled, pulling Aurora closer against his side. “A great line, for the record.”

“It’s a talent,” she teased. “And let me guess, he doesn’t even look like he’s trying to fit in?”

“He looks like he’s trying,” Nick corrected. “He just looks like he failed miserably.”

Aurora giggled at his dramatic eye roll.

“Well,” she said, “looks like Blaine is doing a solo today.”

“Ror–”

“We all know the old harmonies, Jeff,” she told him. “And I just… I really don’t want some dishonourable  _ spy _ to take the project that I’ve poured my heart and soul into.” 

Jeff sighed. “Yeah, I hear you. But you’re telling Blaine.”

Aurora shrugged, unconcerned. “It’s a deal, Sterling.”

She pulled away from the two boys, flitting between the crowd with ease to get to Wes.

“Solo, right?” he asked as soon as she was within hearing range.

“I told Jeff that I’d tell Blaine, but–”

“But you need me to activate the phoneless phone tree?”

Aurora made a face at that, folding in on herself. “I mean, if you don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind, Aurora,” he told her, squeezing her shoulder gently. “I would have made the call if you hadn’t. I’m not sure why Blaine decided to bring a spy in, but that’s why we have backup plans. I’ll get the word going.”

Aurora gave him a small smile. “You’re the best, Wes. Love you.”

“Love you too, Aura.”

Her smile brightened and the boy turned away, exchanging quiet words with the closest Warblers, and Aurora could see the whisper travelling among the boys. They had all fallen silent, and fallen into position, by the time Blaine approached them with a wide smile.

Aurora grabbed his sleeve before he could start singing, pulling him close so that she could whisper without being overheard.

“You’ve got a solo,” she hissed, letting go as quickly as she had grabbed him and falling into her own position between Wes and Blaine. 

She watched the confusion wash over her brother’s face, but to his credit, he didn’t miss a beat as he spun around to begin the song.

She joined in on the “da-da-da-das” mindlessly, the simple side step requiring no real thought. Instead she concentrated her energy on not rolling her eyes at the constipated look that the spy was giving her brother.

She liked Katy Perry, she did – though not quite as much as Blaine – but she was relieved when the song came to an end.

The applause wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as it had been for the first time – that was often the case in impromptu performances – and soon Trent was dragging Aurora over to join he, Nick, Jeff, Thad, David, and Wes. Aurora tried to listen to their conversation, she really did, but she couldn’t drag her attention away from Blaine and the spy.

She was just starting to tune back into her boys –  _ oh _ , they were talking about fall break – when she noticed the boy turning to leave.

She didn’t stop to think, and she would be the first to admit that that was out of character for her. But before she could talk herself out of it, or even process what she was about to do, she found herself splitting away from the group.

“Hey!” She called out, loud enough that most of the room fell silent. “Hey, spy! Hold up, would you?”

The entire room fell quiet as Blaine and the spy turned around. That sort of a scene wasn’t normal for Dalton, and all eyes were on Aurora, waiting to see what she would do next.

She froze.

She couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t – she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t breathe.

Wes stepped forward, standing beside her and throwing a faux casual arm over her shoulder — to those who didn’t know the inner workings of the inner circle Warblers it would look like nothing more than a show of support, a way of aligning himself with her, but the select few who knew how the Warblers really worked knew better. It was support, yes, but it was so much more. It was forgiveness; for causing a scene without permission. It was a promise; we all have your back. It was security; we’ve got you, you can breathe, you’re safe.

“What Aurora means is,” Wes started diplomatically. Aurora breathed. “Welcome to Dalton, we recognize you from New Directions at last year’s regionals, can we buy you a coffee?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Aurora comes from an idea that I started working on about ten years ago, and a couple of months ago I decided to rework and update the concept, and I fell in love with her all over again! I really hope you all love her as much as I do, and I have plenty more Aurora content on my tumblr, randomestfandoms-ocs, so feel free to come check it out!  
> Songs Used:  
> The Sound Of Silence, Pentatonix Cover  
> Teenage Dream, Glee Cast Version


	2. Be Brave, Little One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Aurora having drawn everyone's attention to the New Directions' spy, damage control was of the utmost priority. But what should have been an easy conversation soon turns to a meeting from hell, and Aurora's day goes from bad to worse. Thankfully, her dormmates know exactly how to fix a bad day, and things start to take a turn for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Glee, or any character other than Aurora. I only own my own worldbuilding for Dalton and the Warblers, Aurora herself, and my plot  
> Warnings: This chapter includes a nightmare with mentions of blood and violence! I don’t think it’s overly graphic, but if you want to avoid it then feel free to stop reading once Aurora has gone to bed, and I will include a brief summary of the ending (without the violence) in the end notes

“It’s very civilized for you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying,” the boy – Kurt, Aurora reminded herself – said, taking a seat across from them.

They were in the school’s coffee lounge, Aurora’s second favourite place in the main building – losing out to the Warblers’ room, of course. With its dark wood floors and walls, and the matching tables and chairs, only broken up by soft cream cushions and curtains, Aurora had always found the room to feel impossibly warm, regardless of the actual weather. As she settled into her own seat between Wes and Blaine, she felt it wrap around her like a safety blanket and could almost pretend that it was just another day.

“We aren’t going to beat you up,” Wes told him, and David nodded firmly from Blaine’s other side.

“Don’t worry,” Aurora heard herself chime in. “They vetoed my hitman too.”

She didn’t have to look to feel Blaine’s sharp look, as tangible as Wes’ hand squeezing her knee –  _ careful _ , it told her,  _ this isn’t the time _ . But David laughed, loud and infectious, and soon Blaine, Wes, and even a slightly hesitant Kurt had joined him.

Despite the laughter, Wes’ hand didn’t leave her knee. She kept her head held high, forcing herself to smile, even as she wilted internally. Of course it wasn’t the time. She didn’t even know what she was thinking.  _ God _ , she wished Nick were there. Her best friend may have been a force of chaos, but he had always steadied her when she felt that itchy burn of disconnect under her skin, detaching her from the world and leaving her desperately trying to ground herself, irritable and empty and self destructive.

But Nick wasn’t there. It would be too many people, Wes had reminded them when Nick tried to join them. It should have just been the Council. But Thad had lacrosse practice and couldn’t make it, and it had been Aurora who had put him on the spot in front of the entire school, and since he seemed to like Blaine, the soloist’s presence would hopefully make it feel less confrontational. Aurora had understood it at the time, she would have made the exact same choice, but sitting there in the cafe, all she could think about was how badly she needed to see Nick.

“Are you like, from their sister school or something?”

Aurora blinked, finding herself snapping back into the conversation and feeling more than a little bit lost. She would ask one of them – David, hopefully – what she had missed, but in the meantime she forced a pleasant smile to her face and took a sip of her latte. The heat travelling down her throat helped bring her back into the present, forcing the intrusive introspection out of her mind for the time being.

“Sorry, you mean me?” She asked, realizing that they were all staring at her.

“Well, yeah.”

She blinked again, looking at Kurt and then down at the red D embroidered on her navy sweater. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, but a nudge of Wes’ knee against her own had her biting back a sharp retort. 

“I’m a student here,” she answered instead.

“This is a boys’ school,” Kurt replied, eyebrow arching condescendingly.

She was saved from having to answer that, as David made a big show of looking around the room.

"Wow,” he deadpanned, “I had no idea.”

“Rory is special,” Blaine explained, a fond smile breaking through his polite neutrality. “She’s the first, and only, girl in Dalton history.”

Kurt nodded, though he looked unconvinced.

“So are you two like, dating?” he asked instead.

Aurora jerked suddenly, almost knocking over her cup.

“Oh my god  _ ew _ ,” she said, before she could stop herself – and  _ god _ she needed Nick. “Never speak to me again in your life, that is so gross, ew.”

“What Aurora means,” Blaine corrected with a fond smile, “is ‘no.’ We’re actually twins.”

“Oh.  _ Oh _ . Sorry, I think.”

“It’s fine,” Blaine told him. “We don’t get that often. She was just caught off guard, is all.”

“Can I ask you guys a question?” Kurt asked.

_ Another one? _ She had to bite her tongue to keep that thought from escaping, before taking a sip of coffee to keep herself occupied. 

She wasn’t surprised that Blaine nodded immediately, but she waited quietly until Wes and David both did the same — she had already stepped out of line twice, she needed to follow their guidance until she could clear her head.

“Are you guys all gay?” Kurt asked, once she had finally nodded.

The four Warblers couldn’t stop themselves from laughing – of  _ course _ that was the question he had gone with. Considering the heart eyes he had been shooting at Blaine – and  _ only _ Blaine – during their performance, it was easy to pick up on his infatuation with the soloist; and they all knew that most people seemed to believe that “all boys’ school” had to mean “gay school”.

“Uh, no,” Blaine answered, the first one to compose himself. “I mean, I am. These two have girlfriends,” he added, gesturing to Wes and David – Aurora wondered why he hadn’t mentioned that neither of them were straight. Did he not want competition for Kurt’s affection? Did he not consider it relevant, since Kurt had only asked if they were gay, not if they weren’t straight? 

“I’m bi,” she chimed in. “Tragically single, but not ready to mingle.”

“Seriously, Aura?” David asked, laughing at her terrible joke.

She shrugged unabashedly, feeling a weight lifting from her shoulders – at least she’d managed to say one thing without messing everything up. But, seeing Kurt’s furrowed brow and pursed lips, the weight came back – apparently she had messed up again.

“I’m sure you think so,” he told her, and Aurora stiffened.

“What does that mean?” she retorted.

Wes’ hand settled back on her knee, and she flinched. 

Try as she might, she couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong. She didn’t know  _ why _ Kurt was acting like she’d pissed in his coffee, she wasn’t even sure if Wes was comforting or scolding her. Her breath caught in her throat and she forced herself to take a long gulp of coffee, wishing once again that Nick was there to help her navigate it. She continued to stare down at the liquid, refusing to look at Kurt when he began to speak.

“Bisexuality is just–”

Whatever Kurt was going to say about her sexuality was interrupted by David, leaning forward on the table as he spoke.

“This isn’t a gay school,” he explained. “We just have a zero tolerance harassment policy.”

“Everyone gets treated the same,” Wes added, tone sharp with something that Aurora couldn’t quite identify, “no matter what they are. It’s pretty simple.”

Aurora hadn’t looked up from her coffee, but she figured there must have been something on someone’s face when Blaine asked for the other three to leave him and Kurt alone.

She nodded quickly, offering Kurt a polite nod and a quiet goodbye. She grabbed her brown leather satchel, throwing it over her shoulder before picking up her coffee and making her way out of the cafe with the two boys.

Once they were back in the main hallway, Wes’ hand settled on her shoulder, guiding her to the edge of the hallway where they would be out of the way of the masses of students rushing by.

“I’m sorry,” she said, as soon as they had stopped moving. “I’m sorry, Wes, I don’t know why I was so off in there. I know I screwed up but I don’t know how, or why… I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Breathe, Aura,” he said softly, pulling her into a tight hug. “I’m not mad at you.”

Aurora blinked. She wanted to look at him but she didn’t want to pull away from the hug, so instead she just pressed closer to him.

“You’re not?”

“Of course not,” he promised. “Yes, you were off, and you did say some things that you shouldn’t have, but that’s not entirely your fault.”

“It’s not?”

“Aurora,” he said, “come here.” 

He led her over to one of the empty window seats, sitting with his back against one of the walls. She mirrored him, watching blankly as he took her hands in his, feeling immediately anchored by the action. 

“I’ve known you since you were born,” he reminded her. “I know you. You rely on your routines and your schedules and you don’t do well when people change the plans on you. Yes, you’re responsible for your words and actions, but Blaine is responsible for setting this off.”

Aurora tilted her head, eyebrows furrowing as she considered his words.

“Your plan – all of our plan – was that we would meet in the senior commons after last period. At exactly three-thirty, you and Blaine were going to sing “Sound Of Silence”, and then you would go on to the mashup. Afterwards, we would have all grabbed coffee and had a quick meeting to talk about audience reception and any changes that should be implemented for Sectionals – don’t worry, David already sent out a text to reschedule that. Then you would have gone back to your dorm to change, and you and Nick would have taken over the common room to watch TV before dinner. Right?”

Aurora nodded, not surprised that Wes would know her plans. He was right, after all, she needed a consistent schedule to function, and her routine only ever changed depending on Warblers’ rehearsals and performances.

“Exactly. And then Blaine was late, and then he didn’t show up for the first song. We had to change it as we went, and you had no idea what to expect – if it hadn’t been Nick who handled it, we both know you would have most likely had a panic attack–” Aurora let out a slight chuckle, knowing that he wasn’t wrong. “And then Blaine  _ did _ show up, but he brought a spy with him, and we had to change the second song too. And then instead of coffee and an informal meeting, you had to go to  _ that _ instead. You were put on the spot, and had no chance to actually prepare yourself for that conversation, right?”

Aurora nodded again, and it was only the loss of tightness in her shoulders that made her realize how tense she had been.

“Rory, look at me,” he said quietly, and Aurora quickly looked away from her hands to meet her pseudo-brother’s gaze. “I know you, Rory. The moment Blaine missed our call time, I knew things were going to go downhill, and I’m really sorry that I couldn’t fix it—”

“It’s not your fault,” Aurora insisted immediately.

“I know that it’s not, and it’s not yours either. You  _ are _ responsible for your words and your actions, but you aren’t to blame for your anxiety flaring up because your coping mechanisms were taken away.”

“Okay, Dr. Montgomery,” she retorted with a small smile.

Wes laughed at the familiar title, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

“That’s right, respect your elders. But seriously, I’m not mad at you, okay?”

“Okay,” she said softly. “Thanks, Wes.”

“Anytime, kiddo.”

Aurora gasped playfully, swatting at his chest. “I’m only three years younger than you!”

“You’re still the same kid sister whose shoelaces I had to tie until she was ten, I’m allowed to call you kiddo as much as I want.”

“I hate you,” she told him with a bright smile.

“I know you do,” he agreed, standing up and pulling her in for a hug. “I’ll talk to Blaine and wrap all of this up, you head back to the dorm, alright?”

Aurora nodded one more time, squeezing him tightly and pulling back to beam at him.

“Love you, Wes!” she called over her shoulder, turning to make her way down the hall.

“Love you too!” he called back.

The walk across campus was familiar, and Aurora found her mind drifting as she walked. Wes’ words echoed in her head, as did the pinched expression that took over Kurt’s face when she mentioned her sexuality. She tried to force them both away, distracting herself by running through a variety of monologues.

She had made it through the “dead on a boat” monologue from  _ Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead _ , and was halfway through “Papa killed my birds with an axe” from  _ Blood Relations _ when she finally reached the door that had always meant sanctuary.

Warbler Hall was the same red brick as every other building on campus. It had the same brown wood door framed in white brick, and the same white columns holding up the grand white awning that covered the stone porch. The only difference between Warbler Hall and any other dorm was the size — despite housing the fewest number of students, Warbler Hall was significantly larger than any other residence thanks to decades of alumni donations. Instead of the basic common room and cramped double rooms, they had a basement with a well supplied gym, a dance studio, and a vocal room, and the door to Dalton’s best kept secret; the main floor held their own kitchen and a miniature café, a small performance space, and the large common room that frequently doubled as their green room; and the third floor hosted a large study space, alternating bookcases and windows all along the walls, with eight desks – each of which had been claimed by one of the residents, before reaching the large, carefully secured door to the actual dorm rooms. Like every other residence, it also had an apartment for their head of residence, but Éloise Campbell – the advanced French teacher and the supervisor for Warbler Hall – had always trusted them to regulate themselves, only reminding them that her door was always open should they need her. With such a small group, she had never felt the need to enforce the strict regulations the way other supervisors did — Warbler Hall only housed eight students, rather than the typical hundred, and they had spent over a decade raising themselves and each other; they could thrive without an overbearing teacher controlling every aspect of their life

Most of the Warblers were local students, electing to commute rather than live on campus, but the innermost circle — the ones whose families had been attending Dalton, who had all grown up together in the harsh political world of Washington, DC — had turned the residence into a home. First it had been Wes and David, along with a few older students who had since graduated. Thad had joined them the next year, and by the time Nick, Jeff, and Trent joined them the year after, the inner circle were the only Warblers living there. Blaine and Aurora had been late additions, only transferring in January of their Freshman year, but had been a part of the group since Aurora, the youngest of the group, had been born.

A raindrop hit the back of Aurora’s hand, and she looked up to see the sky rapidly turning grey as more drops started to fall. She quickly waved her student ID in front of the card reader, waiting for the light to flash green before pushing open the door.

_ Home sweet home. _

She stepped into the large foyer, the familiar black and white tile floors and dark wood and cream walls lifting the stress of the day from her shoulders. 

She heard a loud crash, followed by a “shit, sorry!” that could only be Jeff. She giggled to herself, accepting a hug from the blonde boy as he raced up the stairs from the basement, having clearly come from the dance studio in his loose shorts, drenched in sweat. 

She watched as he disappeared up to the second floor, before turning to her right to head to the small café. It wasn’t  _ really _ a café, but the eight residents had turned it into one, supplying a coffee machine that would undoubtedly be considered unnecessarily complicated and ridiculously overpriced by any outsider, and adding in a cafeteria style food station where they stored their leftovers. The dark wood tables and chairs had already been there, from back when the space was used as an extra lounge area, but they had unanimously agreed that a space for coffee and quick meals was more important. She made her way over to the glass fridge, grabbing the blueberry-banana smoothie that she had made that morning. She had made her way back to the foyer, ready to go to her room and get changed, when Nick appeared from the kitchen with a granola bar.

“Rory!” he called, rushing over to pull her into a hug that knocked the air out of her lungs — it was only years of familiarity with that exact hug that kept her from losing her balance.

She squeezed back just as tight, mindful of her drink as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

“What happened?” he asked softly, not pulling away. “Wes texted, said that things went downhill and to make sure you’re okay.”

“I don’t even  _ know _ , Nicky,” she admitted. “Everything just went to  _ shit _ and I couldn’t control any of it.”

“It’s okay, Rory,” he assured her, dropping a quick kiss to her forehead. “Why don’t you get changed and we can take over the common room for Disney movies and cuddles? I’ll even let you pick the movie. We can let Wes and David handle things tonight, right?”

Aurora smiled softly, nodding against him.

“I think I need to shower too, so give me like, twenty minutes? ”

“Sounds good,” he agreed, pulling back and looking at the smoothie in her hand. “Want me to put that back in the fridge?”

Aurora looked down at the smoothie then back at Nick, offering him a small smile as she passed it over.

“You’re the best,” she told him, turning to head up the stairs — white marble with dark wood railings — towards her room.

The stairs led to the open study space, with the same dark wood floors and wood and cream walls as the rest of the building — save for the foyer and basement. The walls were lined with large windows and dark brown bookcases, with matching desks in between. Trent was the only one in the area, bent over his desk as he worked through what appeared to be the same physics problems that Aurora herself had been putting off for days. 

Tempting as it was to say hi, she knew better than to distract him while he was working. So, she padded across the room to the large door on the far wall. It was dark blue with a detailed white frame and, guarded as it was by multiple security cameras and another card reader, it kept the actual dorm rooms off limits to anyone who didn’t live in Warbler Hall. Granted, the entire building was  _ technically _ off limits, but they were allowed to bring in visitors, and the private rehearsal spaces were frequently used for evening and weekend Warbler practice, whereas they all respected the sanctity of the dorm hall.

She scanned her ID card again, and made her way into the hallway, the dark red walls and wood floors, covered with carpets in Dalton’s signature red and navy. Each door — seven in total — was a light brown wood with a dark blue frame. Six of them opened up to the six double rooms, while the one at the end of the hall led to their communal bathroom. The halls were bare — their decorations lined the study area and the basement — but they felt more like home than any one of the Anderson houses.

She reached the end of the hall, opening the door to the right — they never locked any of the doors in their private hall, trusting each other to respect one another’s privacy. She entered her room, well, hers and Blaine’s, and dumped her brown leather messenger bag on the red couch that sat underneath the window, separating the two beds. She sprawled out on her bed, with the same fancy white frame and navy bedding as all of the others, twisting onto her side until she was facing the navy blue wall that separated her bed from Nick’s. She lay there for a moment, breathing deeply, before she forced herself upright with a loud sigh. She stood quickly, leaning on her dark wood nightstand – and trying not to knock over her precarious stack of books – until the black spots faded from her vision. She undressed quickly, tossing her blouse and socks into her laundry basket and hanging up her skirt and sweater, her ring and necklace on her nightstand, before wrapping herself in her bathrobe. She slid her feet into her flip flops, grabbing her shower caddy and a change of clothes and making her way to the bathroom.

She had always been glad that her dorm was right next to the bathroom; had never been able to let go of that flash of fear that came with the thought of an  _ outsider _ in their sacred space. She pushed open the door, blinking quickly as she adjusted to the bright light of the bathroom. With white tile floors and walls, and even white cabinets and sinks, it was a jarring change from the dark wood of the rest of the building. Absently, she noticed that none of the toilet or shower stalls, of which there were four of each, all separated by floor to ceiling walls and lockable doors, were in use, and quickly claimed the shower in the left corner, only stopping to grab a towel from one of the shelves.

She locked the door behind herself, stepping under the showerhead and turning it up as hot as she could tolerate. She let herself take a few minutes to just stand under the almost-painfully hot water, before quickly setting about washing up and rinsing off. She turned the water off shortly, drying herself off before changing into her favourite comfort pyjamas; a pair of soft turquoise shorts with green alligators on them and an equally soft tank top, light pink with the phrase “this princess saves herself” written in white with a gold crown above it. She wrapped her robe — soft black with white polka dots, with iconic Minnie Mouse ears and bow on the hood that matched the small Minnie embroidered over the left breast — back around herself to keep her wet hair off of her shirt, and left the stall.

She jumped back when the bathroom door swung open, narrowly avoiding being hit.

“Shit! Sorry, Ror!”

She blinked, looking up from the floor to see Thad with a towel around his waist and sweat dripping down his chest, clearly headed to shower after lacrosse.

“It’s all good,” she told him with a bright smile. “My head was all over the place and I wasn’t paying attention.”

“The spy?” he asked, though it was really more of a statement than a question — sometimes Aurora wondered what it would be like to have friends, a family, who hadn’t known her since she was an infant; who didn’t know her better than she knew herself. 

Still, she nodded.

“Anything I can help with?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know… God, Thad, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do right now…”

“I think,” he started softly, “you start by going downstairs and letting your best friend smother you to death, then you make Blaine grovel for the rest of the night, and we probably all pass out watching a movie. Wes has already called an emergency meeting tomorrow, and we’ll deal with it all then, yeah?”

Aurora nodded, smiling slightly. 

“So basically ‘don’t worry about it’?”

“You worry about everything all the time,” he retorted. “More like, try to trust that Wes will handle everything, and in the meantime don’t let some honourless spy ruin your Friday night.”

Aurora giggled.

“I think I can do that. Thanks, Thad.”

“Anytime.”

She hugged him quickly, unfazed by his lack of a shirt, and left the bathroom, ducking into her room to drop off her shower caddy and trade her flip flops for her fluffiest pair of purple socks and her beloved white bunny slippers. She slid her gold ring onto her middle finger – a gift from Blaine’s grandparents for her tenth birthday, then clasped on the gold Kate Spade necklace with a small, glass stone-encrusted elephant necklace that Nick had given her on her last birthday — and grabbed her hairbrush before heading back down to the common room.

She had to cut through the performance room — with its white marble floors and white-and-red walls, its red couches lining the back wall, with its beautiful grand piano in the middle of the stage, and other instruments behind it lining the far wall — to get to the common room, but as soon as the last door shut behind her, she relaxed. The common room matched the rest of the building, but despite the extravagant size, it felt cozier than any other part of the house, save for the dorm hall. The back wall, closest to the door, was lined with counters, all dark wood and white marble, with a microwave, coffee maker, and kettle all plugged in, a fridge and a dishwasher on either end. The left wall was lined with five dark tables, each one with two navy director-style chairs and large, backlit mirrors — the common room did double as a green room when they hosted any performances, and they needed a private space to prepare. The opposite wall had three large wrought iron windows, with dark bookcases in between, overlooking the small forest that the campus backed onto. The farthest, and smallest, wall had two large windows of its own, with a large flat screen TV taking over the rest of the space, with a state-of-the-art speaker beneath it. 

In front of the TV, on a plush cream carpet, a large navy couch faced the screen with a matching loveseat on either side. Behind it was an identical carpet, which split the room in half. That carpet had the same navy sofa and loveseats, but they faced the small kitchenette, and two dark red leather armchairs completed the circle, each carpet having a dark coffee table in the middle. 

Aurora was unsurprised to see Nick on the couch facing the TV, her smoothie waiting on the table. He patted the space between his legs, and Aurora padded across the room to take a seat, passing him the hairbrush in exchange for the remote.

She looked up at the screen, silently debating which movie to suggest, and blinked when she realized that it was already on. She twisted around to look at Nick with a raised eyebrow.

“What happened to letting me pick the movie?” she asked with a teasing grin.

“You’re upset and anxious and close to dissociating,” he reminded her. “Are you really going to tell me that I  _ don’t _ know what movie you want for any and every mood?”

“It’s the thought that counts, Nicky!”

It was Nick’s turn to raise his eyebrow, looking between his best friend and the screen.

“Was I  _ wrong _ ?”

Aurora turned back to the TV, where the menu screen for  _ Hunchback Of Notre Dame _ awaited, and turned back to Nick.

“Well, no…”

“I promise, Ror, if I weren’t sure that I knew what you would choose, I would have waited.”

Aurora giggled, pressing her forehead to his shoulder.

“Fine,” she said, turning back around. She pressed play before putting the remote down on the table, picking up her smoothie insead.

As the opening notes of “The Bells Of Notre Dame” rang out, Nick picked up Aurora’s hairbrush and started to brush through her wet curls. It was an old habit, one that they’d picked up over a lifetime of friendship and basically living together since childhood. Aurora had never had the patience to brush her own hair; and in her rush to get it over with she was far from gentle, which made it more painful than it really should have been, which in turn led to a nine year old Aurora firmly refusing to brush her hair at all. Nick, on the other hand, found the repetitive motions soothing, and was never anything less than overly gentle with his best friend, so they’d soon fallen into a pattern of Nick brushing Aurora’s hair while they watched movies, and five years later it was still part of their daily routine.

Nick had, unsurprisingly, been entirely on point in his choice of movies, with both of them singing along without fully realizing it, and by the beginning of Topsy Turvy, Aurora could feel the day’s stress leaving her. She could let herself forget about the last minute changes to the set list, the spy, the sudden change in her routine as she had to meet with the spy; she could even almost forget about the sharp looks — too many to count — that she’d earned during that hell of a meeting.

And as Nick finished brushing her hair, tying it off into two braids — about halfway through “God Help The Outcasts” — the tension left her body completely, and she found herself sagging backwards against her best friend’s chest, who shifted thoughtlessly so that her legs were thrown over one of his, her head tucked under his chin.

She noticed Blaine enter during “The Court Of Miracles”, looking between the duo on the couch and the movie with furrowed brows. After a moment, she saw him turn away, heading back towards the main foyer. Thankfully his little spy was nowhere to be seen, and as the door closed behind him, Aurora felt herself relax back against Nick, turning her attention back towards the screen.

The movie came to a close, and Aurora wiped tears off of her cheeks. It was only moments later, while the credits still rolled, that Thad came into the room, carefully balancing two full plates. 

“David made bolognese,” he told them. “We’re all in the dining room if you want to join but I figured you’d probably want to talk before Blaine starts on the worried brother routine.”

“Oh my god I love you,” Aurora told him emphatically. “I mean, I love him, but I’m so  _ not _ ready for that talk.”

“I know,” he chuckled, putting both plates onto the coffee table. “We all know. But you know he’ll be in as soon as he finishes eating, so talk fast.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” she agreed with a playful salute.

Thad reached out to ruffle her hair before heading out, and Nick nudged Aurora gently.

She took the hint, climbing off of his lap to sit on one end of the couch, knees pulled to her chest. She grabbed one of the plates that Thad had brought, and one of the forks, turning so that she could face Nick as he settled into the opposite corner.

Nick watched her quietly, and Aurora let out a loud sigh. “Where do you want to start? The spy, the performance–”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you don’t like the joint birthday parties?” he asked suddenly.

Aurora blinked.

“What?”

“Back in April, when we were all in Napa… you told Blaine that you don’t like shared birthday parties. And it’s only, what, two weeks until we’re in Aspen? Why did you never tell us?”

“It’s just… It feels so stupid, Nicky… Like, you guys go out of your way to put together amazing parties for Blaine’s birthday, to make sure that we both love it, and here I am being all whiny that it’s on his birthday and not mine. I can count on my hands how many people know when my birthday is, so it’s not even like we could  _ really _ do something anyways. It’s just dumb and selfish and–”

“Breathe, Rory,” Nick said, effectively cutting off the ramble that was quickly turning to panic. “It isn’t dumb  _ or _ selfish. Like you said, barely anyone actually knows when your birthday is, it’s not unreasonable to want those few people to actually celebrate it. I’m sorry that I never noticed before. And especially after last year…”

“It’s not your fault, Nick,” Aurora interrupted, not ready to talk about her last birthday. “And it’s really not a big deal. Besides, we're going to be in Aspen on my birthday this year so like, maybe we can have dinner and then get drunk at David’s chalet or something?”

“Of course we can. Whatever you want, okay?”

Aurora nodded wordlessly, taking a bite of her pasta so that she wouldn’t have to say anything.

Nick took the hint, changing the subject with practiced ease. “And today? Do you want to talk about it or would you rather wait til everyone gets here and Blaine wants to repeat it all anyways?”

Aurora giggled at the prediction.

“I think I can wait,” she assured him.

The two returned to their food, and not even ten minutes had passed before the rest of the Warblers joined them. They both set their plates — Nick’s empty and Aurora’s about halfway — back down on the coffee table, shifting to make room for everyone to sit. David and Wes claimed one of the two-seaters and Thad and Trent took the other, leaving Blaine and Jeff to squeeze onto the larger couch with Aurora and Nick. In the end, Aurora found herself back on Nick’s lap, with her legs thrown across Jeff and her feet in Blaine’s lap, taking advantage of the small conversations everyone had engaged in to grab the remote before anyone else could.

“Rory?” Blaine prompted. “What was… all of today about?”

The room fell silent, everyone looking between the siblings.

“You were late,” Aurora shrugged. “I freaked. Then we had to change the arrangements to fill in the gaps, then the fucking spy showed up and we had to change the other song, then I had to change my routine for that stupid meeting and then Kurt was all weird and passive aggressive with me and I kept fucking up and it was all just  _ too much _ and I couldn’t fucking deal with it, okay?”

“Of course it’s okay, Rory,” he told her softly, grabbing her hand in his. “I mean, I wish you hadn’t felt so overwhelmed but I’d never blame  _ you _ for that. I should have let you know right away that I was running late and that Kurt was going to be there, and I’m really sorry.”

“You should have,” she agreed. “And thank you. I… I’m not ready to forgive you yet, is that okay? I mean… I’m not  _ mad _ at you, just kind of annoyed, but if I forgive you now and then things fall apart tomorrow when we have to change our set list and I freak out again and get mad then it won’t be  _ fair _ to be mad at you after forgiving you, so I can’t forgive you yet… is that okay?”

“Of course it is,” Blaine told her.

“You don’t need to get permission to not forgive someone right away,” Jeff reminded her. “You’re entitled to your own feelings.”

“Careful, Jeff,” Trent teased, “you’re starting to sound like your mom.”

“I’m taking that as a good thing, dude,” Jeff retorted, “she’s like the only person other than Wes that Aurora actually listens to.”

Aurora rolled her eyes and shoved playfully at his shoulder, but couldn’t deny his claims — Mrs. Sterling had always been the one parent that treated them like actual people rather than dolls, and she had been Aurora’s therapist since she was ten. She may not have trusted adults very much, especially her parents and her friends’ parents, but Mrs. S had always been the exception to that.

“Enough feelings,” Thad teased, “it’s vegging out time now.”

“Well Aurora has the remote,” Wes pointed out, “so I think we all know what that means.”

David groaned loudly, but Aurora didn’t take it to heart.

“Complain away, Thompson,” she laughed, switching the TV back to cable and pulling up a recorded episode of Say Yes To The Dress. “We’ve all seen you watching it without me.”

“Lies and slander!” he gasped, holding a hand to his heart.

He only lasted a few seconds before bursting into laughter, waiting while Aurora started up the very first episode — one that she had seen often enough that she didn’t have to worry about missing anything as she zoned out, nuzzling into Nick’s shoulder.

She hadn’t fallen asleep, not even close, but she had definitely completely spaced out, and was startled when she felt a hand shaking her shoulder gently.

“Go get some sleep, Rory,” Nick told her when her gaze finally focused on him. “We have an emergency meeting tomorrow and you’re completely out of it.”

“Right, fuck,” she sighed, tugging at one of her braids. “New setlist and all that shit…”

She took Blaine’s hand, letting her brother pull her up, and the two made their way up to their dorm. Aurora hung up her bathrobe on the back of the door, kicking off her slippers and sliding into bed, snuggling into the soft navy comforter. Blaine turned off their overhead light, leaving Aurora’s night light to illuminate the room.

“Hey, scooch over,” Blaine told her, once he’d changed into his flannel pyjama set.

Aurora did so, leaving room for Blaine to take a seat by her pillow. As soon as he was settled, she moved so that her head was in his lap, one of his hands brushing over the top of her head.

“I really am sorry, you know,” he told her softly.

“I know, Blainey. And I’ll forgive you tomorrow.”

Blaine smiled fondly, waiting until she’d settled into a comfortable position before speaking again.

“Want me to sing?” he asked.

Aurora nodded quickly. She always slept better if someone — Nick or Blaine, really — sang to her, but she tried not to ask for fear of annoying them. They both insisted that she never would, but she wasn’t willing to take the change. But still, she had had a terrible day, and she wasn’t too proud to accept comfort when it was offered.

“Close your eyes,” he told her, waiting until she had complied before he started to sing, the same song that he always chose — he couldn’t hold his guitar with her on his lap, but he knew his own arrangement well enough to sing without the accompaniment.

[ _ Look at this stuff _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fzAgf6vLnQ)

_ Isn't it neat? _

_ Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? _

_ Wouldn't you think I'm the girl _

_ The girl who has everything? _

_ Look at this trove _

_ Treasures untold _

_ How many wonders can one cavern hold? _

_ Lookin' around here you'd think _

_ Sure _

_ She's got everything _

_ I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty _

_ I've got whose-its and whats-its galore _

_ You want thingamabobs? _

_ I got twenty _

_ But who cares? _

_ No big deal _

_ I want more _

Aurora let out a soft sigh, cuddling closer to her brother.

_ I wanna be where the people are _

_ I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancin' _

_ Walkin' around on those — what do ya' call 'em? — oh, feet _

_ Flippin' your fins you don't get too far _

_ Legs are required for jumpin', dancin' _

_ Strollin' along down a — what's that word again? – street _

_ Up where they walk _

_ Up where they run _

_ Up where they stay all day in the sun _

_ Wanderin' free _

_ Wish I could be _

_ Part of that world _

Blaine was unsurprised to realize that Aurora had already fallen asleep, but he carried on regardless, watching the creases in her forehead smooth out as she relaxed.

_ What would I give _

_ If I could live _

_ Out of these waters? _

_ What would I pay _

_ To spend a day _

_ Warm on the sand? _

_ Bet ya on land _

_ They understand _

_ Bet they don't reprimand their daughters _

_ Bright young women _

_ Sick of swimming _

_ Ready to stand _

_ And I'm ready to know what the people know _

_ Ask 'em my questions _

_ And get some answers _

_ What's a fire and why does it — what's the word? — burn? _

_ When's it my turn? _

_ Wouldn't I love _

_ Love to explore that shore up above? _

_ Out of the sea _

_ Wish I could be _

_ Part of that world _

_ Out of the sea _

_ Wish I could be _

_ Part of your world _

He didn’t move right away, content to listen to her steady breaths for another minute before bending down to press a kiss to her forehead. He stood carefully, moving her head to rest on her pillow before slipping out of the room to rejoin the other Warblers.

Aurora woke slowly. It was a nice change from the many, many times that she’d woken up screaming in the past year. But, despite the calm awakening, she could feel the irritating headache and physical exhaustion that she had long since learned meant that her sleep had still been plagued with nightmares. At least she couldn’t remember them, she told herself, sitting up and shoving her feet into her bunny slippers.

She grabbed her iPod and stepped into the dark hallway — clearly no one else was awake yet, not that she was surprised. She used the light of her iPod screen to make it down the hallway as quietly as possible, closing the door behind her as she entered the upper foyer. She reached out for the light switch, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted. With proper lighting, she was able to turn off her iPod and head downstairs, stopping in the café to make herself a vanilla cappuccino in their overpriced machine — not only could it make almost a dozen different types of coffee, but it also had almost a dozen different flavour options, and Aurora considered it their best investment of all time.

She took the finished drink and made her way to the common room, closing the door as quietly as she could. The room was dimly lit by the rising sun, but she decided not to turn on any of the overhead lights, instead settling in on the plush loveseat closest to the fridge. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping one arm around them as she opened her iPod browser, the other hand still holding her steaming mug.

She wasn’t surprised when Wes joined her not even fifteen minutes later, taking a seat in his armchair. It was dark red leather and at the head of the square, and had been Wes’ for as long as Aurora had lived there. It was mirrored by the identical armchair on its other side, which had been David’s for just as long 

They sat in a comfortable silence, Aurora reading on her phone and Wes flipping through his terrifying binder of Warbler business, no doubt preparing for their upcoming meeting. Thad was the next one down, but he only stopped in to say hi and grab a granola bar before leaving for lacrosse practice. David joined them before the door had fully shut behind Thad, and within the hour, the entire group had gathered. They drank their various coffees and teas in comfortable silence, none of them needing conversation to fill the room. Nick had been the last one down, and had grabbed a box of mixed muffins from the kitchen, which they were happy to dig into — a proper breakfast could wait until Thad was back, but they were more than willing to tide themselves over with the snack. 

Thad returned in just under two hours, by which point the sun was streaming in through the large windows around the room.

Aurora stood as soon as she noticed him, following him out into the main foyer. Thad made his way up the stairs, no doubt going to shower, but Aurora herself went into the kitchen. The room had the same counters as the common room, with an identical silver fridge and microwave, matching the rest of the appliances. She grabbed a carton of eggs and a loaf of bread, busying herself with preparing a large batch of scrambled eggs and toast.

Thad had rejoined her just as the toast was popping, and set about buttering it all while Aurora focused on the eggs. It was only another couple of minutes before they were distributing the food between eight plates and calling the others in to join them.

They settled around the large dining table, with Wes and David taking their usual seats at either head.

Wes waited until everyone had had a chance to start eating before he finally spoke up.

“We need a new set list,” he informed them. “Chances are that Kurt will have told the New Directions about “Teenage Dream” by Monday, and I would feel better if we changed the entire thing. Just in case.”

“Kurt wouldn’t do that,” Blaine objected immediately, getting an eye roll from his sister.

“He literally came here for the sole purpose of spying on us, B. Just because he spent your entire song giving you weird constipated heart eyes doesn’t change that.”

“Thank you, Aura,” Wes agreed. “I don’t know exactly what you two talked about after we left yesterday, but we know for a fact that he came here as a spy, and we have to assume that he’ll tell his team everything, if he hasn’t already.”

Blaine sighed, but nodded. “So what’s the plan?”

“We can keep the duet,” David said. “We haven’t even started rehearsing it yet, so it’s safe. We’ll need a new number for Blaine, something pop-y where we can involve the entire group, to replace “Teenage Dream”. I know that we all loved the mashup, and Kurt doesn’t know what the other song was, but we shouldn’t bet on them not using “Teenage Dream”, so we’ll need to start over. And we need to replace “The Sound of Silence” too… something where we can really show off what acapella can do.”

“Ideally it should be another solo for Aurora, but we’ll need to have a vote on that tonight,” That added. “But it should be another solo, maybe with a few smaller features. We want to show that we can do something that none of the other teams can, so it's important that we have a few moving pieces that we can play with to emphasize that."

“We’ll be meeting with the entire team after dinner,” Wes told them. “No rehearsing but we’ll be voting on songs and solo features. I’ll be putting the sign up sheet by the front door so that anyone who wants to audition can put their name down when they get here and we can start auditions first thing on Monday. As always, anyone can nominate a song, even if they don’t want a solo, but make sure you have a pitch ready–”

“Relax, Wes,” Jeff said. “We just did this a couple of weeks ago, we remember how it works.”

Wes laughed lightly. “Right, of course. Sorry about that.”

“It’s all good,” Nick told him, “council mode and all that.”

“What time is the meeting?” Trent asked.

“We told everyone to get here at seven, so we’ll start at quarter after,” David told him.

They fell back into a comfortable silence as they finished eating. It was Blaine and Trent’s turn to clean up, so Aurora didn’t feel guilty about ducking out.

Once she got to her room, she was quick to change out of her pyjamas. She pulled on a pair of black bike shorts and a blue twist-back tank top, slipping into her blue sneakers. After a brief moment of contemplation, she left the braids in her hair, grabbing her neon blue hand wraps and heading back downstairs, this time to the basement. 

The basement’s foyer looked identical to the main floor, with a large door on the far wall that led to the Warbler rehearsal spaces, with a bathroom underneath the kitchen and a small gym under the café.

Aurora entered the gym – its white walls lined with mirrors all the way around and its wood floors covered entirely with black gym mats, looking at the row of treadmills for a moment before moving to plug her iPod into the small speaker in the corner of the room. She wrapped her hands tightly, taking comfort in the familiar pressure, and went over to one of the free-standing punching bags in the middle of the room.

It was easy to lose herself in the familiar rhythm as she boxed, channeling all of her hurt and frustration into each hit.

When she finally took a break, rolling out her shoulders with a soft groan, she noticed Wes standing by the door.

“Wes?”

“Hey, Aura. Can we talk?” 

“Yeah, for sure. What’s up?”

Wes sat down on the matted floor, and Aurora joined him, crossing her legs and leaning back on her forearms.

“I owe you an apology,” he told her.

Aurora blinked, eyebrows furrowing as she stared at him. 

“Sorry, what? Why?”

“Yesterday,” he explained. “You apologized for screwing up when we were dealing with Kurt, and I told you that it was okay.”

“Was it, was it not okay?” she asked quietly, folding in on herself without meaning to.

“No, no, that’s not it,” he rushed to assure her. “I’m the one who messed up. I told you that it was okay; I  _ should _ have explained that you didn’t mess up. You made a joke — well, I hope it was a joke,” he added, with a stern look that she knew meant that calling a hitman on Kurt was definitely out of the question. “And it fell flat. That happens sometimes, it’s life. The rest of the time you were only responding to Kurt’s energy, and it was very clearly hostile towards you. I let you think that you had done something that you needed to be forgiven for, and that’s on me, and I’m sorry.”

Aurora blinked again.

“Sorry just, gotta process real quick,” she explained, and Wes smiled fondly.

“No rush,” he told her. “Take as long as you need.”

She smiled back at him before closing her eyes, repeating his words in her mind.

“Oh,” she said, after a couple of minutes. “It’s okay. We were all stressed out, and you had a whole lot of other shit to worry about and fix, I don’t blame you.”

“You’re allowed to,” he reminded her.

“I know,” she shrugged. “But honestly I haven’t even really had time to think about it much. Like I was upset by the whole situation, but you said you forgave me so I stopped beating myself up over that part anyways.”

“As long as you’re sure.”

“I am,” she promised. “But, thanks, Wes.”

Whatever he was going to say got cut off when she launched herself forward to hug him.

“Ugh!” he exclaimed, laughing fondly. “You smell gross.”

Aurora laughed too, hugging him even tighter.

“Wimp,” she teased. “I’ll go shower then, and maybe try to get some homework done before the meeting.”

“I’ve got to head over to the library, but I’ll see you in a bit, alright?”

She nodded, waiting for him to stand and letting him pull her to her feet.

She stopped by the front door on her way upstairs, putting her name down for solo auditions before heading up to the dorm hall to have a shower.

She was in and out quickly, pulling on a pair of black leggings and a soft knit sweater under her bathrobe, before peeking her head into Nick’s room.

She was unsurprised to see that he was alone — Jeff typically spent most of the weekend in the basement’s dance studio — and he grinned when he saw her.

“Hair time?” he asked.

“If you don’t mind?”

“Not at all, but you have to read?” he offered, holding up his copy of  _ 1984 _ .

Aurora nodded, taking the book from him and handing him her brush. She would have had to do the reading anyways, since they were in the same English class, and she had always enjoyed their routine.

“ It was a bright day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,” she started.

They had just wrapped up the third chapter when Nick finished brushing her hair, leaving it loose since she wasn’t going to be going to bed soon.

She kissed his cheek before standing and leaving the room, dropping her hairbrush in her dorm, noticing that Blaine wasn’t there – probably in the performance room, she figured – and grabbing her backpack. She went out into the upstairs foyer, setting her bag down at her desk.

She sat down in the soft leather chair and pulled out her books. She put in her headphones and started her studying playlist, all classical music to help her focus, grabbing her copy of  _ Candide _ and the question sheet that she had to fill out for French class.

She was quick to lose herself in her work, and by the time Blaine was shaking her shoulder, reminding her that she should change before dinner and the meeting, she had finished her readings for French and Spanish, as well as her math and physics problem sheets, and was more than willing to step away.

Blaine headed downstairs for dinner, and Aurora went back to their dorm. Blaine had been right, after all, she would hate for anyone outside of their inner circle to see her dressed so casually. She traded out her leggings for a black suede skirt, which buttoned up in the front, and her loose knit sweater for a fitted forest green sweater, which she tucked into the skirt. She traded her slippers for a black pair of over-the-knee socks and black leather oxfords with a low heel.

She didn’t bother with a full face of makeup, but she made sure to dab concealer over the bags under her eyes before finally heading downstairs.

It had been Jeff’s turn to cook, and she was unsurprised to see a plateful of grilled cheese in the middle of the table when she entered the kitchen, taking her usual seat between Blaine and Thad, across from Nick.

They ate quietly, only occasionally asking for someone to pass them a sandwich or ketchup, and were done with fifteen minutes to spare before anyone was supposed to arrive.

Although it wasn’t her turn to clean, Aurora was quick to volunteer anyways, not wanting to give herself a chance to worry about the meeting. Wes and David were happy to give up their cleanup rotation, instead focusing on making sure that the building was clean enough for guests. They weren’t supposed to be going anywhere other than the performance room, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

All too soon, seven o’clock rolled around, and with it, the first of the Warblers. Aurora left Blaine and Jeff to greet everyone and send them into the practice room, and instead took her own seat in the very front row, an empty seat for Blaine on one side of her and Nick on her other side.

It took her a moment to notice that Wes, David, and Thad had set themselves up on the stage, but once Nick pointed it out to her she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. They had pushed back the piano and moved the long kitchen table up onto the stage, with Wes’ binder and gavel making it seem less like the place where Aurora ate most of her meals and more like the council table in their proper rehearsal room.

And, just like if it were a normal rehearsal, the room fell silent at the bang of Wes’ gavel. Aurora half-listened as Wes called the meeting to order, explaining the Kurt situation and the need for a new set list, before David took over to explain what they were looking for in each song. Aurora knew that everyone had been informed the day before, of course, so that they would have time to prepare any suggestions, but everyone knew that it needed to be said so that Thad could record it in the minutes.

She tuned back in, somewhat, when the subject switched to solos.

“The council,” Thad was saying, “feels that junior members Anderson and Anderson should still have their solos. They auditioned and won the majority vote, and we feel that it would be unfair to strip them of that honour because of dishonourable actions from another team. However, we are a team, and everyone should have a say.”

“Therefore,” Wes continued, “if anyone would like to object to this, or to put their name forward for another round of auditions, the floor is open.”

He leaned forward, elbows resting on the table as he looked at everyone. It wasn’t threatening, or challenging, but Aurora recognized it for what it was; a reminder that if no one spoke up before he hit his gavel, future complaints would be dismissed.

She found herself unsurprised when no one spoke up. Thad had been right, after all; she and Blaine had earned their solos once already, and it would be unfair to take that from them just because the New Directions were assholes with no sense of sportsmanship.

She tried to focus as the conversation shifted to song nominations, but she couldn’t keep herself from spacing out. She knew that she hadn’t been sleeping well, that her nightmares were waking her up more often than not, but even the sharp pinch of her nails digging into her upper thigh couldn’t keep her attention on the meeting.

She jumped when she felt Blaine and Nick grabbing her hands, eyes darting around the room to confirm that no, no one but the council had noticed anything. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again, trying desperately to listen to what Nick was saying.

“—it doesn’t have quite as many moving pieces as “Sound Of Silence” did, but it gives us a great opportunity to show off our rhythm section, which will make us stand out, as will our bass line. Aurora’s voice is perfect for the melody, and I’m sure that the Wonder Siblings can create some of their stunning harmonies.” He winked at Blaine and Aurora, who both smiled bashfully at the praise. “It does fit our usual Top 40s, but it’s different enough that the judges  _ will _ remember us.”

Aurora wished she had heard what song he was pitching, already getting excited over the possibilities he was presenting. Apparently he had been the last of the speakers, since Wes banged his gavel to call for a five minute recess. None of the council members left their table, whispering amongst themselves while the rest of the group relaxed. Aurora tried to ignore the concerned looks that Blaine and Nick were giving her, not wanting to have that conversation with others in the room, and jerked backwards when Jeff suddenly appeared out of nowhere — well, she knew that he had come from the common room, but she hadn’t noticed him leave the rehearsal room or come back.

He squatted down in front of her, passing her her silicon Disney World water bottle, which he had apparently filled for her. She took it, tilting her head as she looked between him and the bottle.

“You were like, totally out of it just now,” he explained. “Don’t worry, no one else noticed. Well, other than Trent and probably the council. But no one who doesn’t live here. I know you haven’t been sleeping enough lately, and water usually wakes you up enough that we don’t have to worry about you passing out before the meeting is done.”

She blinked, then nodded. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, Aura.”

He pushed himself up and squeezed her shoulder before returning to his seat next to Nick, just in time for Wes to call the meeting back to order.

She noticed for the first time that they had lowered the projector screen and connected it to Thad’s laptop with a list of all of the song suggestions, separated based on whether they were for her or Blaine.

The voting was always done by show of hands, so that there would be no chance of foul play, and Aurora took a long gulp of water as she waited for them to start. They voted on Blaine’s solo first, and as much as she loved Beat’s suggestion of “Firework”, she worried that the New Directions would be too likely to steal Katy Perry from them and had to vote for Trent’s proposal of “Hey Soul Sister” instead.

It took them close to ten minutes to go through all of the suggestions, but ultimately “Hey Soul Sister” won, and they moved on to voting for her future solo.

There were significantly less suggestions for her, but she knew that she would be thrilled with any of them. Once they got to Nick’s song choice, she found herself almost bouncing in her seat as she thought about all of the possible harmonies that she and Blaine could play with. Her hand was in the air before Wes had even finished introducing it, and she would forever deny the little squeal that she let out when it won.

Thankfully the meeting wrapped up fairly quickly after that, with Wes reminding everyone that auditions for solo features and the duet slot would take place on Monday before dismissing them for the night.

Despite the fact that it was barely nine, Aurora was quick to head upstairs as soon as the door closed behind the last few stragglers. She slipped into the same pyjamas as the night before, heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth and pull her hair into twin braids. 

Blaine wasn’t there when she got back to the room, presumably down in the common room with the others, so she switched off the light and climbed into bed, burrowing into her comforter as she waited for sleep to overtake her.

_ Blood. _ _ There was so much blood. Everything hurt, her entire body felt like it was on fire. Hands. More blood. Someone was screaming. She was screaming. Something hit her, a loud crack echoing across the empty parking lot. _

_ Why wasn’t anyone helping? Why couldn’t anyone hear her? See her? _

_ She tried to scream again, but a hand covered her mouth. _

_ No one would hear her scream. _

Aurora woke up suddenly, a scream tearing its way out of her throat. Tears burned behind her still-closed eyelids and the scream soon turned into a coughing fit. Her eyes were still closed when she felt her mattress dip, someone pushing what felt like a garbage can into her arms just in time for the coughing to turn into vomiting.

Much to her relief, it didn’t last long, and as she blinked against the sudden light, she saw that it was Nick who had gotten to her first, passing her the glass of water that she always kept by her bedside. She accepted it gratefully, taking slow sips until her throat no longer burned.

“Thanks,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Anytime, Rory,” he told her, moving the garbage can to the floor. “Shove over a bit?”

Aurora complied easily, and Nick lay down beside her. Their sides were pressed together, trying to fit both of them onto the twin mattress, and Aurora wound up with her head on his chest and their legs tangled together.

“I’ve got you, Ror,” he promised, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I love you, Nicky.”

“I love you too.”

They lay together in silence for a couple of minutes before Nick spoke again.

“Song?” he asked quietly.

Aurora said nothing, but he could feel her nodding against his chest, and wasted no time before launching into his usual post-nightmare song.

[ _ Be brave, little one _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMKH5IqBt1Y)

_ Make a wish for each sad little tear _

_ Hold your head up though no one is near _

_ Someone’s waiting for you _

She hummed contentedly, and Nick tightened his arm around her.

_ Don’t cry, little one _

_ There’ll be a smile where a frown used to be _

_ You’ll be part of a love that you see _

_ Someone’s waiting for you _

_ Always keep a little pray’r in your pocket _

_ And you’re sure to see the light _

_ Soon there’ll be joy and happiness _

_ And your little world will be bright _

When the death grip that she’d had on his shirt relaxed and her breathing evened out, Nick knew that she’d fallen back asleep. 

_ Have faith, little one _

_ Til your hopes and your wishes come true _

_ You must try to be brave, little one _

_ Someone’s waiting to love you _

He and Blaine exchanged knowing looks when Blaine came into the room. Nick had reached the dorm before him and they both knew that crowding Aurora after a nightmare only ever made things worse, so he’d been waiting for her to fall asleep before getting ready for bed himself. He moved around silently, not interrupting the other boy as he sang, his heart swelling fondly at the small smile on Aurora’s face.

_ Always keep a little pray’r in your pocket _

_ And you’re sure to see the light _

_ Soon there’ll be joy and happiness _

_ And your little world will be bright _

_ Have faith, little one _

_ Til your hopes and your wishes come true _

_ You must try to be brave, little one _

_ Someone’s waiting to love you _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all so much for reading! I had a great time writing this chapter, even if it turned out to be about twice as long as I expected (and that’s after splitting the original chapter outline into two chapters, oops!). Once again I hope you’re all loving Aurora as much as I do, and if you’d like to see tons more Aurora content, come visit me on tumblr @ randomestfandoms-ocs
> 
> For anyone who chose to skip the nightmare: Aurora wakes up screaming, at which point Nick rushes to her room. He helps her calm down and they cuddle. She falls asleep on his chest while he sings to her
> 
> Songs Used:  
> Part Of Your World, Darren Criss Cover  
> Someone’s Waiting For You, Nico Roukema

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Aurora comes from an idea that I started working on about ten years ago, and a couple of months ago I decided to rework and update the concept, and I fell in love with her all over again! I really hope you all love her as much as I do, and I have plenty more Aurora content on my tumblr, randomestfandoms-ocs, so feel free to come check it out!  
> Songs Used:  
> The Sound Of Silence, Pentatonix Cover  
> Teenage Dream, Glee Cast Version


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